In free space optics a first optical transceiver sends and receives optical signals from a second optical transceiver through free space. Alignment of the two optical transceivers is crucial for error free transmission of the signals exchanged between the two optical transceivers. In Prior Art, the optical transceivers are mounted on rotational stages than can rotate about horizontal and vertical axes. The initial alignment between the optical transceivers is done by operators adjusting the vertical and horizontal angles of the optical transceivers until a signal is detected by both optical transceivers, and then the signal is maximized by fine adjustments. After alignment, the optical transceivers are left at either a fixed position, or there is an active tracking mechanism to adjust their vertical and horizontal angles to maintain signal strength.
However, this alignment method has several issues. First, it requires initially well trained operators to install the optical transceivers, and secondly, after initial alignment, if the optical transceivers become miss-aligned, manual intervention to re-align them may be needed. Further, even if the optical transceivers are aligned, optical aberrations due to weather conditions or aging of the optical or mechanical components of the optical transceivers can lead to improper focusing of the incoming beams, thus leading to errors in the transmission.